ChE MS Thesis Defense: Austin Breed

Name: Austin Breed

Title: Fabrication of Na-ion Intercalation Materials for Kinetic Energy Harvesting

Date: 04/10/2026

Time: 01:00:00 PM

Committee Members:
Prof. Joshua Gallaway (Advisor)
Prof. Sanjeev Mukerjee
Prof. Magda Barecka
Enock Nagelli, PhD

Location: Snell Library 001

Abstract:
This work investigates ion-solvation switching as a mechanism for electrochemical kinetic energy harvesting (EKEH) in low-power, confined environments, motivated by the growing demand for sustainable energy sources for distributed electronics. Long-term stability, confined area design, and unsteady current output limit contemporary harvesting designs, often hamstrung by material engineering shortfalls. Copper hexacyanoferrate (CuHCF) is a Prussian blue analogue (PBA) promising new active material under investigation in long-term storage and kinetic harvesting devices due to its face-centered cubic (FCC) structure conducive to ion-intercalation, adequate theoretical capacity, and stability comparative to traditional Prussian blue cathodes. However, CuHCF still experiences notable capacity fade and mechanical degradation during prolonged exposure to aqueous electrolyte. This study fabricated copper CuHCF electrodes, evaluated their structure using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and, for varying fabrication parameters, used electrochemical methods including electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and open-circuit potential (OCP) power cycles to benchmark performance and
durability impacts.

Results confirm that CuHCF-based systems can reproduce switching potentials on the order of ~0.40 mV. Though consistent with prior reports, this work demonstrated prolonged voltage saturation time, highlighting evidence of kinetic and diffusional limitations. Material composition strongly influenced electrochemical performance, where Fe(II)-rich CuHCF exhibited improved reversibility and reduced overpotentials, suggesting enhanced charge-transfer kinetics and structural stability, albeit with a modest reduction in capacity. Electrolyte concentration further impacted performance, reinforcing its importance as a design parameter. Thermal annealing degraded electrochemical initial performance, likely due to the loss of interstitial water and disruption of ion transport pathways.

This work elucidated the sensitivity of performance and stability to various fabrication parameters in Na-ion intercalation materials for this ion-solvation switching applications.
Furthermore, this study highlights key trade-offs between stability, capacity, and voltage saturation in CuHCF-based ion-solvation switching systems and identifies critical areas for improvement, particularly in materials engineering and electrolyte optimization, to enable practical implementation of next generation electrochemical energy harvesting technologies. Understanding the causal relationships between fabrication methods and these measured quantities will drive future work towards mitigating these failure modes and limitations.

Austin Grant Breed, BS, EIT Austin is currently pursuing a Master of Science (MS) in Chemical Engineering at Northeastern University in Boston, conducting research in the Gallaway Lab focused on electrochemical kinetic energy harvesting. He completed his undergraduate training in Chemical Engineering at the United States Military Academy at West Point. During his time at West Point, he conducted research in hemorheology, developing stochastic models of large amplitude oscillatory shear forces in human blood, and participated in a waste-to-energy demonstration project involving synthetic gas production via rotary kiln gasification. He also interned at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where he analyzed the kinetic and aerodynamic effects of nanotechnology integrated into solid chemical propellants. Austin earned his EIT status in 2017. Prior to graduate school, Austin served over seven years as a commissioned U.S. Army Aviation Officer, accumulating approximately 750 flight hours across multiple rotary- and fixed-wing platforms including the CH-47F Chinook. His most recent military culminated in command of an aviation maintenance company in the 2-501st General Support Aviation Battalion at Fort Bliss, where he oversaw maintenance operations for a 34-aircraft fleet and over 175 soldiers. He also served in several leadership roles supporting NATO deterrence operations in Europe and Korea. Austin’s service was recognized with the Meritorious Service Medal, the Honorable Order of St. Michael, and several other distinctions. Last year, Austin served as a project lead at Storion Energy in Wilmington, MA, directing the development and assessment of a novel continuous vanadium electrolyte production process — work that also forms the basis of his thesis defense through Northeastern University’s Gordon Institute of Engineering Leadership fellowship. After completing his MS, Austin plans to continue working towards his PhD in chemical engineering with the Gallaway Lab while instructing within the chemical engineering department at West Point.